觉得 (juéde): Think / Feel That | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

觉得 (juéde) is the workhorse of opinion in everyday Chinese — the soft, low-commitment "I think" or "I feel" you'll reach for a hundred times a day. It introduces a whole clause of what you think or how you feel, and it does so with no linking word: 我觉得这个电影很好 ("I think this movie is good"). That directness is the first thing English speakers must internalize — there is no equivalent of "that" to insert after 觉得. The clause simply follows. 觉得 also stretches to cover physical sensations ("I feel cold," "I feel tired"), where English switches from "think" to "feel." One Chinese verb does both jobs, and it's almost never wrong for a current personal opinion.

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The 觉 in 觉得 is read jué (to sense/feel), not jiào as in 睡觉 (shuìjiào, "sleep"). Same character, two readings — mixing them up is the commonest pronunciation slip.

觉得 + clause: no "that" needed

The pattern is bare and simple: subject + 觉得 + [a full clause]. English "I think that it's expensive" has a "that" you can drop but often keep; Chinese has nothing to drop — the clause attaches straight to 觉得. Whatever you'd say as a standalone sentence goes right in.

我觉得这个电影很好看。

wǒ juéde zhège diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn

I think this movie is really good. (informal) — the clause 这个电影很好看 follows directly.

你觉得怎么样？

nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?

What do you think? / How do you feel about it? (informal) — the all-purpose way to ask an opinion.

我觉得他说得对。

wǒ juéde tā shuō de duì

I think he's right. (neutral) — a whole clause, 他说得对, as the object of 觉得.

我觉得我们应该早点儿出发。

wǒ juéde wǒmen yīnggāi zǎodiǎnr chūfā

I think we should set off a bit earlier. (informal) — 觉得 softening a suggestion.

Notice there is no copula before the adjective: it's 很好看, not *是好看. When the clause after 觉得 is adjectival, use 很 (or another degree word), never 是 — a point English speakers stumble on because "is good" tempts them to insert 是.

Opinions and physical feelings — one verb, two jobs

English draws a line between thinking ("I think it's cold in here") and feeling ("I feel cold"). Chinese doesn't: 觉得 covers both. When the subject feels a bodily sensation, 觉得 is exactly the verb, and it takes an adjective of sensation directly.

我觉得有点儿冷，你冷不冷？

wǒ juéde yǒudiǎnr lěng, nǐ lěng bu lěng?

I feel a bit cold — are you cold? (informal) — physical sensation, same 觉得.

走了一天，我觉得特别累。

zǒu le yì tiān, wǒ juéde tèbié lèi

After walking all day, I feel really tired. (informal) — bodily tiredness, still 觉得.

这个菜你觉得咸吗？

zhège cài nǐ juéde xián ma?

Do you find this dish salty? (informal) — 觉得 for a sensory judgment.

The 有点儿 in "有点儿冷" is worth a note: it carries a faintly negative slant ("a bit too cold," a mild complaint), which is why it pairs so naturally with sensations you'd rather not have. That slant is covered on the 有点儿 page.

Negating: 不觉得 raises to the front

To disagree, put 不 on 觉得 itself — 我不觉得… ("I don't think…") — exactly as English raises the negative ("I don't think it's good," not "I think it's not good"). This is the idiomatic default.

我不觉得这是个好主意。

wǒ bù juéde zhè shì ge hǎo zhǔyi

I don't think this is a good idea. (neutral) — 不 on 觉得, the natural placement.

你不觉得这里很奇怪吗？

nǐ bù juéde zhèlǐ hěn qíguài ma?

Don't you feel there's something strange about this place? (informal) — 不觉得…吗 for a leading question.

觉得 vs 想 vs 认为 — a first orientation

Three verbs crowd the English word "think," and 觉得 is the softest. 想 (xiǎng) mainly means "want to" or "miss," and only loosely "suppose"; for stating that something is a certain way, 想 sounds off — that's 觉得's job (see the 想 page). 认为 (rènwéi) is a firmer, more considered "hold the view that," at home in essays and debates. And 以为 (yǐwéi) means you mistakenly thought something. The full contrast is on the 认为 vs 以为 page; for now, remember that 觉得 is the safe everyday choice for a current personal opinion.

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When you're unsure which of 觉得 / 认为 / 以为 to use for "I think," reach for 觉得. It's rarely wrong for expressing how you currently see or feel something, and it never carries the "I was mistaken" trap that 以为 does.

Common Mistakes

1. Inserting 那 as a "that" conjunction. English "that" after "think" has no Chinese equivalent; 那 means the demonstrative "that," not the linker.

❌ 我觉得那他是对的。

Incorrect — 那 is the demonstrative 'that,' not a conjunction; nothing links 觉得 to its clause.

✅ 我觉得他是对的。

wǒ juéde tā shì duì de

I think he's right. — the clause attaches directly.

2. Putting 是 before an adjective. After 觉得, an adjectival predicate takes 很, not 是.

❌ 我觉得这个电影是很好。

Incorrect — 是 doesn't go before an adjective; use 很.

✅ 我觉得这个电影很好。

wǒ juéde zhège diànyǐng hěn hǎo

I think this movie is good. — 很好, no 是.

3. Using 想 to state an opinion about quality. 想 leans to "want to / miss"; for "I'm of the opinion that X is good," use 觉得.

❌ 我想这个菜很好吃。

Misleading — 想 here sounds like 'I miss / am craving this dish,' not 'I think it's tasty.'

✅ 我觉得这个菜很好吃。

wǒ juéde zhège cài hěn hǎochī

I think this dish is delicious. — 觉得 for the evaluation.

4. Leaving 觉得 bare with 吗. 觉得 needs a complement; you can't ask "do you think?" as just 觉得吗.

❌ 你觉得吗？

Incomplete — 觉得 must be followed by a clause or 怎么样 / 呢.

✅ 你觉得怎么样？

nǐ juéde zěnmeyàng?

What do you think? — 怎么样 gives 觉得 its complement.

Key Takeaways

觉得 (juéde — note the reading, not jiào) is the soft, everyday "I think / I feel," the default for a current personal opinion.
It takes a whole clause with no 'that' word: 我觉得他很忙 — and no 是 before an adjective (很忙, not *是忙).
It covers both opinions and physical sensations: 我觉得他说得对 / 我觉得有点儿累.
Negate by raising 不 to the front: 我不觉得….
Among the "think" verbs, 觉得 is the safe choice; save 认为 for firm judgments and beware 以为 ("thought, but was wrong").

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